Bites and nibbles

BOOK REVIEW

BITES AND NIBBLES

Author: Mar Benegas From the reader report by: Richard Mansell

Mordiscos y bocados (the translation Bits and Bites is offered by the publisher) is a short illustrated board book. The text is in verse, written in octosyllabic rhyming couplets, sometimes organised into quatrains (and sometimes with assonance rather than full rhyme). In total there are 36 lines of poetry across 12 pages.

Given the fact that the only links between the text and the illustrations are the animals (and the child’s face at the end), translators would not be too constrained by the Spanish content – so, a good translator would have the relative freedom to be able to craft a good poetic version in English. There are no culturally-specific items in the Spanish text (and so no problems there for translation either), and it is a fun text overall. The question / reveal format of the text makes this a great one for reading aloud with a group (of pre-schoolers or reception class children?) and getting children to join in. The cut-outs are a fun innovation, making it rather like Peck, peck, peck by Lucy Cousins.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS UK

CASALS EDITORIAL

Title BITES AND NIBBLES MORDISCOS Y BOCADOS

Author Mar Benegas Genre Children and Youth Pages 12

ISBN 978-84-91016-43-4 Year of publication 2020 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 14.90 €

Author’s biography: Mar Benegas is a poet, writer and children’s book author, who specialises in teaching and lecturing in poetry, and encouraging reading and creativity in children. Her work encompasses reading, writing, creativity and poetry for adults and children. She runs courses in Spain and abroad. She has worked in schools, teaching and pedagogic innovation centres, official centres of learning, and professional library, university and other institutions associations and foundations. She has been part of various initiatives and cultural creativity spaces related to reading and poetry; for six years she coordinated school visits for the Provincial Library of Valencia. She currently runs JALEO, Days for Encouraging Reading, Writing and Observation, for the International Menédez Pelayo University in Valencia. www.marbenegas.es

Synopsis: Bites and Nibbles is the latest title from Mar Benegas in the Marsupiflap collection, illustrated by Susie Hammer. What has happened to this book? Who has been at its pages? Whose are these teeth marks? A book for young and older children to play at guessing which animals have been biting its pages. In the author’s words, “The entire Marsupiflap collection has been designed with this theme in mind: flaps, play, pop-up, shapes and mirrors, with rhyming text to sing and accompany the exploration with the book, participation and playful surprise.” The pages of Bites and Nibbles, as the name suggests, are all bitten and covered in teeth marks, so that babies (who bite the world to discover it) can guess which animal has been at each page. With rhymes and rhythm and a surprise at the end.

Publisher: Company Combel, un sello de Editorial Casals, SA Editorial Casals is now 150 years old. Since 1989, under the name Combel, we publish illustrated books for children from infants to nine years old, with a specialist catalogue in novelty and pop-up books, including cardboard books and books for bath time, stories, graphic novels and non-fiction.

Publishing rights available from:

Editorial Casals, SA. - CIF A08199820 Casp 79, Barcelona www.combeleditorial.com | https://youtu.be/4qOctxi9Y6w www.combeleditorial.com/n/news/interview-mar-benegas-bits-bites/ Contact: Esther Serra [esther.serra@editorialcasals.com] [rights@combeleditorial.com] Phone: (+34) 932 449 550

Countries where the rights have been sold: France- Quatre Fleuves | Brazil - Carochinha